In an extraordinary interview, the former Speaker of the House of Commons described Brexit as the “biggest mistake of this country after the war”. Mr Bercow, who left his role as Commons Speaker on October 31 after 10 years in the chair, said the UK leaving the EU “doesn’t help us” and the UK is better-off within the “power bloc”. In his first interview about Brexit since leaving the Commons, Mr Bercow told the Foreign Press Association in London: “I don’t think it helps the UK.

“Brexit is the biggest mistake of this country after the war.

“I respect Prime Minister Johnson but Brexit doesn’t help us.

“It’s better to be part of the [EU] power bloc.”

Throughout the Brexit process, Mr Bercow, 56, has been heavily criticised by eurosceptic MPs over a series of controversial rulings which were seen to favour the pro-Remain side in the Brexit debate.

The 56-year-old played an instrumental role in Britain’s failure to exit the European Union on October 31 after allowing MPs to put forward a motion preventing the UK from leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

During a speech in the capital, Mr Bercow stated he expected the Brexit process to rumble on further and admitted it “won’t be resolved any time soon”.

The remarkable intervention from the former Commons Speaker has been met with widespread criticism.

Brexit Party MEP Rupert Lowe branded the remarks “disgraceful”.

Mr Lowe wrote on Twitter: “Bercow has just called Brexit ‘the biggest mistake of this country after the war.’

“Disgraceful this man was allowed to referee our Parliament for so long.

“The whole establishment is geared against Brexit.

“Need a total reset.”

Broadcaster Piers Morgan, who voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum, said: “Astonishing admission that will confirm every suspicion Bercow did all he could as supposedly impartial Speaker to stop Brexit happening.”

Meanwhile BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said: “This will only confirm what Bercow’s critics always believed… and he still won’t do any UK interviews so we can’t ask him about it yet.”

In the wide-ranging interview Mr Bercow defended his actions and said he was “championing the rights of Parliament”.